Welcome to Monday Matters! Spread awareness to help important causes and start your week off right by making a difference each Monday, even if that is just to pin, tweet, or share to pass this information on.
Parents, talk to your kids about vaping.
Join in our efforts to educate Californians by sharing this important information.
E-cigarettes … [Read more...]

Welcome to the Love to Learn Blog Hop
A collection of educational activities to instill a life long love of learning in our children.
Enjoy learning through play, nature, crafts, and many other educational activities.
This is a PIN-IT PARTY
Your hosts will pin our favorite posts to our Pinterest boards! I encourage you to do the same!
and … [Read more...]

Father's Day is coming up quickly and, just like every year, we struggle to find something more meaningful than a new tie to honor him. My own husband is difficult to shop for Father's Day gifts unless I fork out cash to buy a fancy new BBQ or upgrades for his precious truck. He would be thrilled with any of those, but for one, my wallet wouldn't, … [Read more...]

I'm usually a go, go, go, type of person, non-stop.
I like to do things myself if I want to see them get done! However, I've had some health issues and have had to be home to attempt to rest. To be forced to relax was extremely difficult for me.
It did help that anytime I tried to do anything, such as a load of laundry or put the dishes away, I … [Read more...]

Help! A strange kid is talking to me!
It was an open house. There were lots of people there with questions and only a handful of adults whom I could safely assume worked there. I waited patiently to be shown around and have my turn gleaning answers to my anxious questions as someone who was unfamiliar with homeschooling and still very unsure.
I … [Read more...]

How can I cope without ME TIME?
I constantly hear moms complaining that they don't get away enough, they don't have time off from their kids, or they can't afford to go out with the girls, so they are miserable and feel like a horrible wife and parent.
I want to extend some encouragement to these moms who are at their wits end and just can't … [Read more...]

When mom is pregnant, everyone needs to prepare for the new baby, including siblings. It's exciting and can also be scary or uncertain times for young kids. Some kids will want to know as much information about a new baby brother or new sister as they can, while others will be satisfied with little info. For the kids that are very curious or … [Read more...]

Kids are pretty self sufficient when it comes to entertaining themselves on rainy days. However, after a few days of being cooped up inside, or maybe even a few hours, they can start to get tired of their same old go-to games and activities. You might be tired of their proclamations of boredom and incessant hassling of each other, if you have more … [Read more...]

Put a stop to the Bedtime Battle of Wills
Sleeping kids are so sweet and calm, but before that calm, so many parents go through a nightly battle. By the time their precious kids finally pass out, they are angry and exhausted. Getting kids to go to bed doesn't have to be a war of wills, but it does take parents willing to stick to their word, stop … [Read more...]

Snuggle Time
Snug in bed, when it's quiet and still, that's when my kids want to talk to me about their worries, future plans, their day, all that is on their minds. I used to shush them and tell them it's time to sleep. Someone was always up 5 minutes later and I'd walk them back to bed. This would go on for hours! Now, each night I snuggle up … [Read more...]

Welcome to the Love to Learn Blog Hop
A collection of educational activities to instill a life long love of learning in our children.
Enjoy learning through play, nature, crafts, and many other educational activities.
This is a PIN-IT PARTY
Your hosts will pin our favorite posts to our Pinterest boards! I encourage you to do the … [Read more...]

I want my kids to learn good financial skills, but I know I'm not great at it myself. I'm so worried about teaching them the wrong skills! I've taken some financial planning courses, but there is so much information it can be confusing and overwhelming. I need something to explain in the simplest terms, in a way that is easy for me to share with my … [Read more...]

Have you heard of Snowflake Bentley? Ever seen photographs of snow up close? Snow is fascinating and one of our favorite science units for homeschool learning. There are many children's books featuring snow, but here are some great educational books about those amazing ice crystals that will intrigue your kids and yourself as well. Make a science … [Read more...]

If you're like me, you try to eat healthy at least most meals throughout the week, but as a busy mom, it's hard to do all the time.
I want to model a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle for my kids, but even so, it's not possible to be at my best every day or serving the most nutritious meals each and every meal. Often pizza or hot dogs is all I … [Read more...]

Kick off your fall fun with some great reads! One of the best parts about cooler weather is cuddling up and reading a good book with your child that will spark your child's imagination. I've already shared books about fall and books about apples and pumpkins. Here are some more fall fun books all about scarecrows. From preschool and Kindergarten, … [Read more...]

I used to love running.
It was sort of a therapy. I could feel the wind whipping past my face, hear nothing but my heart pumping, and my own breathing, and feel the burn in my legs. It was the only thing that blocked out my thoughts which ran on every second of the day otherwise. The majority of the thoughts in my head at that time were negative. … [Read more...]

This post is sponsored by Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags. All opinions are my own.
I was invited to attend the Hefty® Ultra Strong™ Live Party last week with my daughter. It was an Olympics themed party for kids. The home was adorably decorated and decked out in all things Olympics. I gleaned some great kids birthday party ideas or ideas for my … [Read more...]

There are many great ways to teach preschool or Kindergarten letters. Teaching the ABCs is super fun! Draw letters in the sand or dirt with a stick, trace letters on a tray in pudding or whipped cream, look for letters on signs around town, place buttons, stones, or any small item in the shapes of letters. My son's favorite way to learn ABCs was to … [Read more...]

All I keep hearing about is Pokemon Go. It does look like a lot of fun, but doesn't offer much, if any, educational aspect. I like games that use some mind power, at least a little! In the spirit of learning, I'm sharing these fun apps that are time much better spent without losing out on any of the fun. These are all fun, educational apps to get … [Read more...]

The world is full of wonderous color. When teaching my kids about color I, of course, read them adorable children's books about primary colors and mixing colors. However, my and quickly my kids' favorite books about color were books with brilliant photographs full of bright colors, such as the Oceans of the World and many books about the Amazon. We … [Read more...]

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About Me

Hello, I'm L. E. Mastilock. I am a lover of food, family, and nature. I encourage parents to live a green, healthy lifestyle and have fun learning together. I am a published author and multi media artist, homeschooling my kids in the beautiful CA mountains. Read More…

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